Christian Short Stories

Cathy writes: I am a student, author, and writer. I have written several stories, screenplays, poems, short stories, novels, and other literature. I have been recognized by several people and celebrities for my stories. I work very hard. I have a part-time job and I am going to UAPB to receive my four year degree."

Christine Creston lived in a large upright two-story wood-framed home in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Her home sat on half an acre of land with a muddy river outback.

Christine and some of her children had been residing there for many years. She was a sixty-six year old stay at home widow who loved being outside most of the time. When she’d go outside she’d bring her handicapped daughter Irene to keep her company. Irene barely spoke but she’d sit in a lawn chair and stare. Christine would work, cultivate her flowerbeds, and cut her lawn with a push-mower.

Within years of living there Christine often ran across several deadly snakes particularly water moccasins. At times snakes would get so bad on the property they would come in through the chimney. Christine had begun using diesel fuel throughout her house and on the property to keep them away. It helped some but not entirely, periodically she’d still have encounters with them. But even if she was afraid or not she’d always manage to kill them alone no matter how dangerous it was.

Christine wasn’t the type of woman who would run away screaming when she saw a snake. She’s been raised in the country as a child and was used to them.  She’d just take her hoe and chop the head off and continue with what she was doing. Christine hadn’t encountered any snakes in a while until now.

It was May 29, 1994, and Christine was outside in her yard working. Irene was sitting in a lawn chair silently staring as usual. It had been warm all day so Christine turned on the air conditioner downstairs. The unit resided over one of her largest flowerbeds against the house. It dripped so much water that it had made a trench in the unleveled dark soil.

Christine came over to the flowerbed and bent forward.  She was admiring the various colorful flowers and hadn’t noticed the long black six-foot three inch water moccasin stretched against the house, cooling off where the water had made a trench.

Tired from bending Christine stood up. “Irene, it’s time for us to go inside for a few minutes to get a bite to eat,” She said.  

They went inside and came back out after eating.  Christine was prepared for more work; therefore she brought a towel with her and put it across her shoulders. She got her hoe and started chopping around her flowerbeds and she still hadn’t noticed the black water moccasin that blended in with the dark soil. It was still lying against the house.

“Meow!” the cats said as they rubbed against her ankles. In the midst of working, Christine dropped her towel and bent down to pick it up. That’s when the venomous snake moved its entire body from the ground.  It stood up against the bricks of her house, taller than a cobra, ready to attack her.

Christine turned to the side picking up the towel she’d dropped with one hand and holding her cultivating tool in the other. She still hadn’t noticed the snake.

“Mama! A Snake!” Irene shouted.

The snake was then leaning against the bricks of the house for support with its mouth open, hissing and aggressively ready to strike. At that moment, 5 foot Christine was standing face to face with a deadly water moccasin.

Christine was terrified as she stared the snake directly in the eyes.  She refused to be defeated and felt the need to keep her eyes on him. The snake swiftly moved and leaned over her entire body.  It had positioned its head over her right shoulder with its mouth still open wide to bite her.

Christine became so shaken up that she became weak in the knees but started screaming for help to her other daughter, Dandy. “Help! Help! Dandy come quick! Help!”

Dandy looked out the window and saw the snake positioned uprightly. She watched for a few moments in disbelieve. The snake was actually bouncing, ducking, dodging, hissing and striking back as Christine struck at him fiercely. She also had to waltz around to keep him from striking her because he was striking back as she hit him with her hoe. He stood upright as if he had legs.

Dandy ran to the door. “Mama! Oh, Mama! Mama! What you want me to do?” Dandy asked, panicking.

“Go get the shovel from around the house and help! We’ve got to take him down or else I’m going to die from a poisonous snake bite! I may not make it to the hospital in time. I can’t let him win! I can’t!” Christine shouted.

Dandy ran around the house to get the shovel, and when she came back, Christine had already taken the snake down on her own and chopped him into small pieces.

“Mama you got him! You killed a snake that stood above you to fight you like a man,” Dandy said.

“He was poisonous.  I couldn’t stand the thought of letting him bite me. I’ll be okay now. You can just go back in the house,” Christine said.

“But I want to stick around to make sure that you’re okay,” Dandy said.

“Give me that shovel so I can dig a hole to bury him,” Christine said as she took the shovel and laid her garden-hoe on the ground. She dug a hole and then buried the snake. “Irene and I are going inside,” Christine said after burying the snake.

“Okay, I’ll be over here if you need me, just call,” Dandy said.

Christine and Irene went inside.  Christine’s heart was pounding so hard as if she was going to have a heart attack.  She took four aspirins, sat down, and watched television.  While staring into the television she had a flashback of when she had another deadly encounter with a coach whip when she was a child. “Thank you, Lord Jesus, for helping me to defeat the enemy. I would not have defeated him or had the courage to defeat him without out you, Lord,” Christine said. She was thankful to have survived such a deadly encounter.  She’d never forget coming close to being killed by snakes.   

(© 2015 Cathy Young – All rights reserved. Written material may not be duplicated without permission.)